CAMPAIGN groups have called for patients to be given the right to be told if their doctor has any previous criminal convictions that could affect their care.

Surgeons, doctors and GPs are free to work despite criminal convictions

ALMOST 1000 doctors have kept their jobs despite convictions for crimes ranging from child sex offences to drug trafficking.

But patients are being kept in the dark about disgraced medics who are allowed to practise despite criminal records that would ban them from other jobs.

There are 927 physicians, surgeons and GPs with criminal records – and some have committed more than one offence. Even those with serious convictions have kept their posts.

Campaign groups last night called on the General Medical Council, the body who license practitioners, to tell patients if their doctors are perverts, pushers or thugs.

Roger Goss of Patient Concern said: “Patients should be made aware if their doctor is found guilty of serious criminal offences that could affect their care and be allowed to make up their own minds if they want to risk being treated by them.

“The GMC should be open and ­transparent in these matters but time and time again they have failed in this respect.

“The problem is that the GMC is funded by doctors while their prime duty is to protect patients but these two things often come into conflict.”

Three male medics were caught in ­possession of indecent images of children, two were guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and two of trafficking drugs.

Two have convictions for cruelty to kids, nine for attacking their partners, two for possessing offensive weapons and one made threats to kill. Eleven were guilty of theft and eight male doctors were caught kerb crawling.

The shocking statistics were revealed by the GMC in response to a freedom of ­information request.

Labour MP Grahame Morris, who sits on the health select committee, said: “This is an issue of considerable public unease. It is quite right to reflect these concerns.”

Medical chiefs claim they cannot ban all offenders because it could breach their human rights.

The GMC said they looked at applying for a block on doctors on the sex offenders’ register but added: “Advice was obtained from a leading QC who concluded that an automatic bar, without exceptions, would not be compatible with human rights ­legislation.”

The organisation said they were working to secure the ­automatic right to strike off convicted sex offenders.

Critics of the system want ­permanent bans on criminal medics amid fears the GMC have no access to the sex offenders’ register and rely on the police to inform their officials of court sentences.

Individual NHS trusts are free to take their own action but under the law, cautions and ­convictions for doctors have to be examined by their governing body.

But in many cases the GMC allow them to still practise, while issuing a warning or temporary suspension.

GMC chief ­executive Niall Dickson said: “Our job is to protect patients by ensuring that only doctors who are fit to practise are able to do so.

“The number of licensed doctors with criminal convictions is extremely small and in the vast majority of cases these are either subject to restrictions on their practise or are struck off.”

The largest category of convictions among medics at 296 was for being drunk at the wheel, while 182 have records for dangerous driving.

The GMC will take action if they have doubts about whether a doctor should stay on the register.

But decisions on whether to strike them off are taken by an ­independent panel of experts and cannot be appealed against by the GMC.

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